About RPS-CGS 2026

Over the past decade urban researchers and practitioners have given significant attention towards enhancement of walkability in cities of the Global South. However, achievement in real terms has remained weak due to the complex challenges arising from shared use of streets by multiple stakeholders including pedestrians and informal sector activities, climate stress, and fragmented governance of pedestrian spaces.

Walking has the highest share of first and last mile trips in cities of the Global South. But where do pedestrians walk? The sidewalk or the footpath is often ill defined and under-maintained in these cities. Do these pedestrian spaces need any special recognition? Again, are these the only spaces where pedestrians walk in these cities? Should pedestrian spaces then be redefined? Again, while idealised visions of the walkable city are promoted through sanitized urban street design guidelines, do they address the identity and diverse needs of the walking crowds in these cities? Should planners and urban designers think of pedestrian spaces only as material infrastructure, or should an integrated vision be developed for pedestrian spaces where walking and informal sector activities co-exist, where walking is comfortable and safe for all, where the effect of climate stress on pedestrians is mitigated?

Planning, designing and governing pedestrian spaces in cities of the Global South requires a fresh approach. This requires reorientation of theoretical frameworks for a better understanding of how pedestrians interact with the physical space on the sidewalk which is also shared by informal sector activities. Governance models for pedestrian spaces also requires a deeper understanding of the use of space and the temporal rhythms on the sidewalk, along with sensitization towards gender and climate concerns. This interdisciplinary conference brings together scholars, practitioners, and policy actors from planning, urban design, architecture, and the social sciences and humanities to critically examine how pedestrian spaces are co-produced in the Global South. It invites empirical research, comparative case studies, ethnographic accounts, spatial analyses, and design-led inquiries on the following themes:

• Historical perspectives
• Socio-cultural dimensions
• Planning and design
• Policy and governance
• Informality and Pedestrian Behaviour
• Climate Resilience & Nature-based Solutions

The international conference in the “Rethinking Pedestrain Spaces in Cities of the Global South (RPS-CGS) 2026” is set to take place on 7-8 August, 2026 in a hybrid format, combining both physical and virtual participation. This event has been organized in the city of Bhopal, by MANIT, Bhopal in collaboration with SPA, Bhopal.